La Vuelta a Espana 22/8 - 13/9 2015 (here be spoilers)

[nickyboy]

Clearly that's what Knees meant when he told me the route was "quite technical".

Anyway.......another day, another pro cyclist. Except this one's a bit tricky. I was in some poncey beach club today en famile and there was a group of guys there including an incredibly low body fat guy. White body, brown arms and legs, classic pro cyclist. He looked.............ill. And he spoke German. It wasn't Degenkolb, I would have recognised him from those charming Alpecin shampoo adverts. I wonder who it was?

 

[rich p]

low body fat guy

low body, fat guy
I like the Neanderthal (Betancur?) image that this conjures up Nicky!
Much more interesting than low body-fat guy

 

[smutchin]

Did he look anything like this?

Not a great ambassador for Alpecin shampoo.

 

[Buddfox]

Why not? It's live on Eurosport and highlights are on itv4. Go buy http://www.diy.com/clearance/ross-sd-interior-portable-satellite-kit/178305_BQ.prd for £20, point the dish at Astra at 19°E (guides online to help) and enjoy German Eurosport.

Because the TV feed is always pants for the Vuelta. Whether it's Eurosport, ITV or wherever, the picture quality will be poor, there will be guaranteed technical issues, and if previous years are anything to go on, they will also miss the critical breaks etc. Whoever provides the pictures just isn't up to it (it's probably down to a lack of money)

It's sadly the way I find the Vuelta, the whole thing is a bit of a shambles by comparison to the Tour. The farce over the opening team time trial is a case in point - it's just hard to take the thing that seriously, even though it has pretensions at being a 'grand tour'. Though to give them credit, they've attracted a higher calibre of entrant this year than they usually do.

 

[themosquitoking]

Because the TV feed is always pants for the Vuelta. Whether it's Eurosport, ITV or wherever, the picture quality will be poor, there will be guaranteed technical issues, and if previous years are anything to go on, they will also miss the critical breaks etc. Whoever provides the pictures just isn't up to it (it's probably down to a lack of money)

It's sadly the way I find the Vuelta, the whole thing is a bit of a shambles by comparison to the Tour. The farce over the opening team time trial is a case in point - it's just hard to take the thing that seriously, even though it has pretensions at being a 'grand tour'. Though to give them credit, they've attracted a higher calibre of entrant this year than they usually do.

That might continue for a bit too. After Berties showing this year I can see less and less serious TdF contenders wanting to do the giro in future.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

A reminder of the Pro Pundit thread for anyone who fancies a bit of a jolly during the Vuelta; here's the format on page 84
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/protour-pundit-2015-no-spoilers-please.175627/page-84

Nobody gives a toss. Join in.

 

[User169]

DS says Quintana and Valves are joint leaders. Hhmm. Possibly Q's biggest problem will be his own team.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

More problems for Katusha, this time due to "drunkenness"
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/raci...t-list-amid-allegations-of-drunkenness-187869

Surely I'm not the only one reading that thinking "drunkenness my arse, he's juiced and they know it..."

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

Some of these blokes had a lot more to contend with than a wee bit of sand

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_xoTRJOx18

 

[rich p]

What a poxy start to the Vuelta.

 

[roadrash]

What a poxy start to the Vuelta.

couldnt agree more...

 

[mjr]

What a poxy start to the Vuelta.

To clarify, most of the teams are taking it easy along the mole, across the sands and over the boards. The stage win seems to interest only a few teams, despite the €12,000 prize (I think: they've mentioned it often but this is even less entertaining than the usual time trials so I'm catching up with online messages that have nothing todo with the racing)

 

[mjr]

And great timing on an ad break means we miss the lead changing, I think. They really do want to be like the Tour, don't they?

 

[mjr]

Given up. It'll be impressive to find an hour's highlights from that, so I'll watch at ten just to see them try! (Well, 45mins or whatever it is)

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

What a poxy start to the Vuelta.

Ha! I just described it as "the dullest most poxy start to a Grand Tour" over of PTP thread